One of the most anticipated films of the year continues to be Wonder Woman 1984, which has been delayed a few times already but is currently slated for an October 2nd release date.
Joining the film is Saturday Night Live veteran Kristen Wiig who stars as Wonder Woman’s nemesis the Cheetah in Wiig’s first comic book film role in her career. In a recent interview with InStyle, Wiig opened up about her audition for Cheetah, her experience filming a project so different from her previous films and teased what we might see of the villainess’ transformation.
“I’m a superhero nerd, so this is my dream,” Wiig said. “I’ve always wanted to have superpowers. My agent called and said, ‘Patty Jenkins wants to talk to you. She won’t say what it’s about, but she’s directing another Wonder Woman movie.’ It was all very secretive. I went out to London to test for it, which was one of the most nerve-racking things of my life. After that, Patty and I met for a drink and really hit it off. I didn’t hear anything for a while when I got home, so I flipped out when I got the part. I never thought I’d get the chance to be in one of those movies — I’m in my 40s, and I’m not known for being this type of actor. I would look around the set and think, ‘I can’t believe I’m in this.'”
Wiig is mostly known for her many comedies such as Bridesmaids, Zoolander 2 or the Ghostbusters reboot with a few drama films sprinkled in like The Skeleton Twins. Starring in a superhero film, as one of the main villains no less, is a very different experience as Wiig explained. She filmed “Eight months in London, but I had to train for a few months at home first. I was excited to get in shape, but it was really fucking hard, and there were no days off. My schedule wasn’t like Gal [Gadot]’s by any means, because she was there all day every day. But I had stunt training, and when they’d show me previews of what I’d have to do, I’d be like, “Are you insane?” By the end I felt strong and had a ton of energy.”
SEE ALSO: Wonder Woman 1984 Battle Cheetah Doll offers best look yet at the villain’s final design
As for what she will look like as Cheetah, Wiig played coy as there has been no official look at her yet, but she did tease the character’s transformation may have several looks before settling on the final one. “No, we weren’t allowed to take any pictures. This was lockdown. They have it somewhere, and you will see it. But there are different evolutions to my character. I will leave you with that.”
Wonder Woman 1984 reunites Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins with stars Gal Gadot (Diana Prince), Chris Pine (Steve Trevor), Ewen Bremner (Charlie), Said Taghmaoui (Sameer), Connie Nielsen (Queen Hippolyta), Robin Wright (General Antiope), Lisa Loven Kongsli (Menalippe), Doutzen Kroes (Venelia) and new additions Kristen Wiig (Ghostbusters) as Barbara Ann Minerva/Cheetah, Pedro Pascal (Game of Thrones) as Maxwell Lord, and Natasha Rothwell (Love, Simon), Ravi Patel (Master of None, Grandfathered) and Gabriella Wilde (Doctor Who, Poldark) in as-yet-unrevealed roles.
Ricky Church – Follow me on Twitter for more movie news and nerd talk.
Originally published August 10, 2020. Updated December 10, 2022.
